One way to think of hybrid cloud is that some IT services will be fulfilled and supported by the in-house IT department and some IT services will be fulfilled and supported by someone outside of the in-house IT department. These IT services can be infrastructure, platforms, and software. And they can be requested and consumed at any given time from any given place. The preferable means of consumption is via a self-service portal with an associated marketplace, which aggregates all the IT services. Companies that have already adopted hybrid cloud strategies include Coca-Cola and Anthem.

Hybrid cloud matters to IT admins, even if your company currently has no plans for IT services fulfilled and supported by someone outside of your IT department — mainly because it will be great for your IT career. Think of it as an investment in yourself. The IT learning curve remains unchanged: (1) understand the technologies, (2) develop and hone the requisite skills, and (3) maximize your utility to the business.

It’s never a bad idea to associate yourself with a technology trend that has research and development, plus capital investment legs. The last time I saw a similar technology trend to the hybrid cloud trend was when virtualization arrived. So ask yourself — do you want a new IT career path? If so, hybrid cloud will provide you plenty of opportunities in 2015. And that’s why it matters.